Nine for treating leaf-tobacco



(No Model.)

B. B. ELLIS.

MACHINE FOR TREATING LEAF TOBACCO. No. 839,089. Patented Mar. 30, 1886.

@/ wozw #9 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD E. ELLIS, OF SYRACUSE, NE\V YORK, ASSIGNOR OF TlVO-THIRDS TO GEORGE N. KUNTZSOI-I, OF SAME PLACE. AND THOMAS IV. MEACHEM,

OF ONOKDAGA, XEVV YORK.

MACHINE FOR TREATING LEAF-TOBACCO.

forming part of Letters Patent No. 339,089, dated March 30, 1886.

. \pplication filed October 10, 1884,

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, RICHARD E. ELLIS, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New .York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Treating Leaf-Tobacco, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention consists in a novel construe tion ofa machine designed for crushing and puncturing the stems of leaves of tobacco, so as to render them. sufiiciently thin, soft, and pliable to be worked with the leaves into cigars, thus accomplishing a great saving of r 5 material in the manufacture of cigars.

In the annexed drawings, Figure Iillustrates an end elevation of. the machine designed for treating tobacco-leaves as aforesaid. Fig. II is a side view of the main parts of said inachine. Fig. III is a vertical transverse section online .r, Fig. II. Fig. IV is a detached side view of the lower crushing or compressing roller. Fig. V is a detached plan view of the scraper used in connection with the aforesaid 2 5 roller. Fig. VI shows enlarged detached views of the puncturing-knives. Fig. VII is an enlarged detached side view of a portion of the central section of the lower roller, sh0wing more fully the seats for the knives. Fig.

0 ViIIis a longitudinal section of the cuttingroller.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

P P represent two pedestals or standards 5 rising from a bed-plate, P, and together constituting the supporting-frame of the machine, said frame being mounted on a suitable table or stand, to the foot of which is connected a treadle, T, similar to that of a sewing-machine.

R 1% are two eylindersj or rollers, arranged parallel one above the other between the two pedestals I P, in which the ends of said rollers are journaled, the upper roller, R, being yieldingly held in its position to the lower 5 roller, It, by the journal-boxes c of the upper roller being seated niovably in vertical slots f in the pedestals and supported by Springs 9, placed under and over the boxes e, as shown in Fig. I of the drawings. Setscrews h, in-

sorted through the top of the pedestals and Serial 'No. 115,136. (No model.)

bearing on plates placed on top of the upper springs, serve to hold the roller R yieldingly toward the roller R. The two rollers R R are rotated synchronously and in opposite directions by a balance-wheel, V, connected with 5 5 the treadle T by a pitman, D. A pinion, a,

on the balance-wheel shaft meshes in a spurwheel, Z. affixed to the journal of the lower roller, It, at one end of the machine, and two inter-meshing gears, m m, of equal diameters, attached to the journals of the two rollers at the opposite ends of the inachine,tra-nsmit motion from the lower to the upper roller. The lower roller, It, I provide with a circumferential row of knives, a a, which I secure in posi- 6 5 tion by dividing the said roller transversely into three sections and providing the central section thereof with radial slots 1) b, as best seen in Fig. VII of the drawings, into which slots I set the knives a c,fitted closely therein 7c so as to be retained by frictional hold, and projecting slightly from the periphery of the roller. The abutment of the two end sections of the roller against the side edges of the knives serves to sustain said knives laterally. The three sections of the roller It are of equal diameters, so as to cause the end sections thereof to carry the leaf while the stem of the leaf passes over the knives of the central section. Said roller-sections are keyed on the shaft, as shown, and are thus compelled to rotate together.

13 represents an annular band of greater diameter than the lower roller, It, on the central section of which it is hung, said band being provided with a series of transverse slots. through which the correspondingly-disposed projecting knives a a protrude.

c and 0 denote two scraper-blades, pivoted to the inner sides of the pedestals P P, and held with their free edges against the rollers by springs S S, as shown in Fig. III of the drawings. The scraper-blade c,wl1ich is held in contact with thelower roller, It, is provided with a notch, d, for the passage of the band B. The front of the frame is provided with a shelf, a, on which to lay the tobacco-leaves in position for passing them between the two rollers R R.

In treating the tobacco-leaves the rollers are rotated by operating the treadle T. The leaves are then introduced between the aforesaid rollers in such a manner as to cause the stems of the leaves to pass their entire length 'be- 5 tween the band B and upper roller, B, by the impingement of which the stems are crushed and flattened, and at the same time punctured by the projections of the knives a a through the slots of the band. The stems are thus made thin and pliable sufficiently to permit of their being worked with the leaves into cigars. In the aforesaid operation, the band B being of greater diameter than the roller B, said band pushes the crushed and punctured to- I 5 bacco-stems off from the knives as rapidly as the tobacco-leaves emerge from between the rollers, and the scraper-blades c and c prevent the rollers and ring B from gumming up.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the roller B, pro vided with a circumferential row of knives, a a, and the annular clearing-band, B hung on 2 5 said roller, the roller R-,arranged in proximity to the roller R, to press the tobaccostem against the knives a a, substantially as set forth.

2. The roller R, composed of three sections of equal diameters, the central section thereof provided with a circumferential row of trans- 3o verse slots, 1) b, and the knives a a set into said slots and held by the frictional hold therein and by the abutment of the end sections of the roller against the side edges of the knives, substantially as described and shown.

3. In combination with the rollers R R, knives a a, and slotted band B, the scraper 0, held against the upper roller, and the scraper c,he1d against the lower roller, It, and band B, and provided with the notch d, substan- 4o tially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name and affixed my seal, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, 4 5 this 10th day of September, 1884.

, RICHARD E. ELLIS. [L. s.]

IVitnesses: FREDERICK H. GIBBS, O. H. DUELL. 

